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Here's a crazy thought -- maybe improve the city such that it's a place people want to be and franchises want to stay even if they have other options.

There are worse cities in MLB than Oakland.

Oakland has a bad rap, and largely deserves it. It's shockingly mis-managed and its crime problem is frighteningly real.

That said, look at a map of the city. Half or more of its land area is very liveable, and actually quite nice. The crime which usually leads an Oakland conversation is heavily concentrated below the 580 freeway, above it is surprisingly safe (and some zones below it are as well). OAK has a very relaxed, laid back vibe relative to its uppity sister across the bay, a very comfortable climate (some say best of any large city) a diversified economy and a genuinely accepting diversity of people.

Their desire to move to San Jose instead of the city that gives them the best stadium deal indicates that they care more about customer revenues than stadium costs.

Specifically, luxury box corporate bigwig customer revenues. Oakland's drawback has about 2% to do with its crime-ridden slum area and about 98% to do with its shortage of cool-cat high tech corporate HQs.

That said, Wolff is a real estate developer endeavoring to leverage the A's into a big development deal. His interest has little to do with those of the franchise or its broader fanbase.

Agree that is the motivation. I just think it fails long term, if it happens at all. They'd surely get a pop of a few years, but:

1) SJ and SV are Giants country. By that I don't mean MLB's formal territory lines, I mean fan interest. The Giants are the primary fan interest in those parts.

2) The A's will always be 2nd fiddle in the Bay Area, unless they both A) get a stable radio deal with a large & wide listening area and keep it for at least a decade, and B) win a few more World Series while C) the Giants spend several years in STL Browns level of futility. Barring those 3 snowball/hell things all occurring, moving will prove just a blip long term.

Stay in Oakland, buy a radio station, and WIN. That is the Rx for the A's, not Wolff's Disney Village dreams.

The last couple playoffs have made me want the A's to stay in the Coliseum. Kick the Raiders back to LA, tear down Mt. Davis and buy a few plungers. A sick high tech Cisco field in SJ would work well too. Don't leave the Bay Area though.